The History of Slave Music and its Impact on Modern Music

Slavery is a form of forced labor in which people are taken as property of others against their wishes and will. They are denied the right to leave or even receive wages. Evidence of slavery is seen from written records of ancient times from all cultures and continents. Some societies viewed it as a legal institution. In the United States, slavery was inevitable even after the end of American Revolution. Slavery in united states had its origins during the English colonization of north America in 1607 but the African slaves were sold in 1560s this was due to demand for cheap labor to exploit economic opportunities. Slaves engaged in composition of music in order to preserve the cultures they came with from Africa and for encouragement purposes..

Music is an art and a wonderful gift to human race. It soothes, stimulates and makes us feel happy. It affects our moods in many different ways from lullaby to war cry for changes in the society. Music is actually distinct to different people. Above all, it has a transformational importance that is captured in its art and nature. Music draws our emotions and it has an impact of bridging different cultures across the continents. Slave songs were very vital channels through which all kind of information was conveyed both positive and negative.

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Slave music was divided into three groups; recreational, work songs and religious songs. A work song is some sought of music connected with specific work that is sung while conducting a task, timing or even appealing for protest. Work songs helped to organize groups of people into manageable units hence easing the burden of hard labor. Records of work song are ancient like the historical records; they vary depending...

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...the sea shanties did. It prevented them from being whipped thus reducing physical injuries 5. History was also told through stories and folksongs. Music was used for celebration of anything like birth or wedding even the meaning of the words were very important in conveying certain message to the people.

Conclusion

Therefore, to endure the pains and sufferings the slaves had to use music. As illustrated above, the advent of music had far reaching results as it encouraged and gave them hope to continue working. The early music composers are the evidence of existence of early music which in turn has shaped today’s music like the blues and pop lyrics. In this case, the culture of the past has been rescued from getting lost.